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Villagers may be shifted
out of Corbett park area

Uttaranchal Chief Minister Nityanand Swami has asked the state administration to explore the possibility of shifting people living in the Corbett Park area.

Swami told rediff.com that though it was a huge task, it had to be done.

"I realise that this will mean uprooting people from where they have been living for ages. But this would have to be done because the national park would have to be made a secure place for animals," Swami said.

According to him, there are 300 villages in the park area and the villagers are familiar with trails in the park. "We have taken a conscious decision to shift them out, because poachers could not have killed the tuskers without help from the locals," he added.

The state government has instituted a high-level committee, headed by principal conservator of forests in Uttaranchal A S Negi for protection of wildlife in the park.

State Minister of Forest Matbar Singh Kandhari, who toured the park and other areas to take stock of the situation following the killing of five tuskers by poaches in December and February, announced a special force -- Van Sena -- to check the poaching.

A week after combing operations were launched in the park by the forest department, with help from the local police, the poachers continue to elude the police net.

A special team of the Central Bureau of Investigation will leave for the park soon to take over investigations. "We are studying the letter sent to us by the secretary, environment. They have asked us for assistance. But it is not clear whether they want us to take over investigations. We are not sure if cases have been registered. If cases have been registered, the Government of Uttaranchal has to issue a gazette notification for the CBI to step in. We are awaiting clarifications," S M Khan, official spokesman for the agency, told rediff.com.

Uttaranchal administration officials clarified that they have written to the Union home ministry, asking it to hand over investigations in the poaching case to the CBI. The letter was signed by principal secretary to the Uttaranchal Government, R S Tolia.

EARLIER REPORTS
CBI takes over Corbett Park probe
No arrests in poaching case: Uttaranchal DIG

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